DAY 266

May 25

1) Today was a rather unique day in our trip. For once, Zi Yan and I split up with the rest of the group to make a day trip to Budapest, Hungary. We woke up at 4.00am, and called the taxi to the Vienna International Bus Terminal (VIB). Our bus was scheduled to arrive at 5.00am, but alas, that was not meant to be. We received a text message on the way informing us of a delay in the bus times, and that we had to wait for a further 1.5 hours! Not the start of the day that I was hoping for then...

2) We took refuge (from the freezing morning winds) in the train station, and finally our bus arrived at around 6.30am. It was a 3 hour bus ride to Budapest - the capital of Hungary and one of the largest cities in the European Union. We went to buy a Metro ticket to the Deak Ferenc Ter, where all the action was. Our first stop was the St. Stephen's Basilica. We took plenty of pictures but didn't go in because there was an entrance fee (haha we're cheapskate I know). Next on our list was crossing the Chain Bridge to get to the other side - Buda. Budapest is actually a combination of two cities - Buda and Pest - separated by the Danube River and connected by many bridges, including the Chain Bridge, Elizabeth Bridge, Liberty Bridge and French Bridge.

3) After crossing the Chain Bridge, we took a ride up the Budapest Castle Hill Funicular, for only 6 euros. The magnificent view of Buda Castle greeted us in all its splendour. We snapped loads of photos of the castle, the Budapest History Museum and also an overall panoramic view of the city. The Sun was shining majestically and aided in creating some lovely shots, which you can see below. Continuing our journey atop the hill, we walked toward Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion, which provided a lovely vantage point for taking photos.

4) Afterwards, we took the tram down, before crossing the Chain Bridge again. Had lunch at the Terv Bistro (I tried the authentic stewed beef sandwich while Zi Yan had the pork with stewed potato) where we mapped out the rest of the journey. Next, we walked along the beach to the Shoes on the Danube Bank - a very sad memorial in honor of the people (mainly Budapest Jews) who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. Some flowers and candles had been placed in the shoes as a solemn reminder of humanity at its lowest.

5) The last two stops in our itinerary were the Heroes Square and the Vajdahunyad Castle. A quick Google search reveals that the minimum distance required on foot would be 3.4km, but having lost our Wi-Fi source, we were forced to ask around and ended up travelling far more than that. But luck was on our side, as we came across a small little shop selling traditional Hungarian Langos - something like our "youtiao"/ yao char kway, which is essentially fried dough. We ordered ours with sour cream and cheese. Turns out the shop is rated 5 stars by Trip Advisor, and it was easy to see why. Shortly after we ordered our food, lots of people came over to order as well. 

6) We continued walking towards Heroes Square, and reached at around 5pm. After taking our fair share of photos around there and the castle, we headed back in the same direction we came from. Only one last thing remained - to take an hour long cruise along the River Danube. As well as serving as inspiration for Johann Strauss' world famous "On the Blue Danube", the river itself is Europe's second longest, and today flows through 10 different countries - more than any other river in the world. Our audio-guide assisted tour cost only 9 euros and took us across all five bridges connecting Buda and Pest. We took so many photos of the sun-kissed buildings and architecture.

7) Our cruise ended at 7.45pm, which gave us time to catch the Metro back to the bus station. On the way, we bought some ice-cream, at only 1 euro a scoop! Obviously one is never enough, so I decided to have three :D Returned to the bus station (Nepliget) via Metro, and took the 9.00pm FlixBus back home. Even here, there were some problems with hailing a taxi. We often use the MyTaxi app to call taxis, and this requires Wi-Fi access. So after getting off from our bus, we had to obtain free Wi-Fi from another source. Thankfully, there was a FlixBus nearby from which we tapped their free Wi-Fi. All the while we were praying the bus didn't leave, or we would be stuck without a taxi. In the middle of the night. Cold and tired. Not to mention hungry...

8) Finally, after a series of minor inconveniences, we managed to hail a taxi; and a Mercedes at that too. Took the taxi back home safe and sound, rounding up one of the most tiring yet exciting days yet! We honestly didn't stop walking at all throughout the entire day, except for lunch and afternoon tea. All in all, this has to go down as one of the most enjoyable day adventures that I've ever taken, and I'm very happy to have undertaken it. Hopefully you can appreciate the extra long text today, as well as the plethora of picturesque photos below. Have a nice day, and good night! 

The "Shoes on the Danube Bank"